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Say good night to insomnia

28 May 2015 11:41 (UTC+04:00)
Say good night to insomnia

By Amina Nazarli

It is no secret any more that we think better, work better and feel better if we have a good night sleep.

Researches show that we need from 7 to 9 hours to sleep, as mainly such amount of time is appropriate to keep our body young, beautiful and healthy. It also helps our brain prepare for the next day. Don’t count on weekends when you cannot get enough sleep.

At first, our body is not able to compensate the time when we are sleepless. At second, in a decisive night from Sunday to Monday our brain, accustomed to different regimes, cannot properly relax.

A healthy person needs about 5-15 minutes to fall asleep. But if you cannot fall asleep for a few hours, it’s urgent to think about it seriously.

Even worse, persistent poor sleep can increase the risk of developing diseases including diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and strokes. Some scientists have proved that one sleepless night reduces the efficiency of the brain by twenty percent.

Don't let those sleepless nights get you down. Next steps will help you beat the sleepless nights.

The main reasons behind insomnia are stress and depression. Studies conducted by Flinders University say that 60 to 70 percent of people with depression had a sleep problem first.

That’s why doctors recommend us to start rearrange the rhythm of our life. Work overloads our brain most. Continuing our work at home and spending more than 10-12 hours on work-related issues overwork our organism both physically and psychologically.

Give your body some rest. Write away your worries. Work should remain at the office. If you can not deal with some issues, try to change your attitude to decrease the level of stress.

Go to bed and wake up at certain times regularly.

Today, not only elderly and “great minds” but also young people, who can not say “goodbye” to their gadgets are suffering from this disorder.

Research by the Lighting Research Centre at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York State suggests that the light from laptop, tablet and smartphone screens tricks us into thinking it is daytime and keeps us alert. That’s why they reject the smartphone and TV in favor of books.

Die Welt’s correspondent Jorg Zittlau says milking the cow’s at night increases the content of melatonin which in turns increases the sleep hormone. In all mammals it is formed only in the dark, and enters the bloodstream. But in cows it also enters into the milk.

Other negative habits such as drinking alcohol and caffeine and smoking are also in the list of sleep enemies. They destroy vitamin B in the organism, which, for its turn, interrupt our sleep.

Bright lighting is also one of the main elements distracting us from a “sweet” sleep. According to the specialists bright light inhibits the synthesis of the hormone melatonin, which is necessary for a good sleep. But, if you cannot sleep at dark, a nightlight will be an ideal option, as faint light does not affect production of melatonin.

In summer and spring, light strikes the retina, stopping the production of melatonin, and one quickly can switch to the level of wakefulness. In winter, however, it’s hard for many to wake up, because of lack of sun rays.

But what about sport? Do exercises help the body get tired and quickly sleep? It is not completely true. Physical activity stimulates the nervous system and prevents a normal rest. That’s why you need to do exercise many hours before bed. It will make a big difference to your sleep.

You have probably heard a lot that the success of a good sleep depends on the comfort of your bed. Doctors say that semi-rigid orthopedic mattress help you relax your body. According to psychologists, coloring of bedclothes also plays an important role. They recommend us to stay away from black, red and yellow colors.

Ventilation of the room is also a good recommendation. Fresh air affects the healthy sleep. Airing the room, you do not just fill it out alive with oxygen, but also cool the air. Most people can not fall asleep quickly, because the temperature in the room is too high. Cool air will create the ideal conditions for recreation and the blanket will become even closer and dearer.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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